Hartford teachers union losing confidence in school district leadership

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The Hartford Board of Education is expected to decide on a contract renewal for the superintendent by the end of the summer.

Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez has been the head of the school district since 2017. She led the district through the COVID-19 pandemic, learning loss and, most recently, navigating a $50 million budget deficit. Her contract is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

There was a motion to renew the contract by a year at a Board of Education meeting back in May. Several parents expressed that they like Torres-Rodriguez and the work she has done.

“She is very, very involved in the community work,” Ellen Mathis said.

Damaris Bolorin said she did not initially see eye-to-eye with the superintendent, but sees how she has grown over the years.

“She embraced and she accepted the parents and children of the city of Hartford,” Bolorin said.

Union leaders representing school staff told the Board of Education not to renew the contract while the district was going through budget cuts. The motion failed, but debate about the direction of the district did not end.

Board of Education members are expected to go into executive session and conduct part of the superintendent’s annual evaluation at a meeting Tuesday night.

Carol Gale, president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers, said there are challenges from the past year the Board of Education should consider when talking about district leadership. Gale said the union had to file 68 grievances this year.

“That is a waste on the district’s and the union’s side of time, money and resources that we cannot solve things at lower levels and have to take things that far,” Gale said.

A spokesperson for the school district said there were regularly scheduled meetings with union leaders to explain what was happening and to get their feedback. The spokesperson adds that the union comments distract from the progress the district has made this year.

Discussions about a contract renewal will likely happen at meetings in August or September, according to the new chairperson of the board.

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